Earlier this month the Fair Work Commission (‘FWC’) handed down a determination that finalises significant changes to be made to the Health Professionals and Support Services Award (‘Health Professionals Award’).

The changes will take effect from 1 October 2026 and include changes to the classification structure and increases to the rates of pay for most health professional employees.

As covered in our earlier blog on minimum pay rate increases in the care and community sector, these changes are part of a broader effort to address gender undervaluation across the sector. This refers to the longstanding pattern of awards that cover a higher number of female employees who have traditionally had their minimum wages set at a lower rate than awards that typically cover larger numbers of male workers.

There will be a pay increase for all health professionals under the Award which will apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 October 2026 and then there will be further increases to apply from 30 June in each year from 2027 to 2030.

You can read the FWC’s draft determination giving details of the pay rises, although you will still need to check the actual pay rates against the Award itself.

Who does the Health Professionals Award cover?

The Health Professionals Award covers a wide range of health professionals such as physiotherapists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and psychologists. It also extends to support staff such as receptionists at medical and dental practices, although the doctors and dentists themselves are generally not covered by the Award.

Please note that the upcoming classification changes and pay increases will only affect health professionals and not support staff.

How will the new classification structure operate?

For employees classified under the new Level 1, the new classification introduces a system where classifications largely turn on:

1. the minimum qualification required for their profession (rather than the qualification they actually hold); and 
2. years of experience in the profession (i.e. including at other workplaces) rather than just experience at their current employer.

Classifying employees at Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 under the new system is based more on the duties they perform and is arguably more simple. It is more convenient to start our analysis with these higher levels.

Classifying employees at Level 2 and above

Level 2 is reserved for employees who fit the new definitions of “Senior Clinician, Specialist, Supervisor or Educator”.

You can read the definitions of these roles on page 6 of the FWC’s determination but the level essentially covers employees who supervise other staff or perform specialist work requiring significant expertise.

Employees progress to Level 2.2 after having performed Level 2 duties for at least five years in the profession (i.e. including at other employers).

Level 3 is for employees appointed as an “Advanced Clinician, Senior Specialist or Section Manager” and Level 4 is someone appointed as a “Manager”. There are no pay points in these levels. You can read the descriptions of these classifications on page 7 of the FWC’s determination.

Classifying employees at Level 1

Classifying employees at Level 1 (and the various pay points within it) is where the Award has changed the most. 

We’ve broken down the classification process into a number of simple steps below. This exercise will need to be performed for both new and existing employees, although the process is slightly different for new employees, as explained below.

Step 1: Determining the standard minimum AQF qualification or qualifications for the role

If employees are not performing the duties of Level 2 or above, the first step will be to consult the list of common health professionals that will be listed in a new Schedule B.3 of the Award (see pages 8 to 11 of the FWC’s determination).

Next to the list of professionals is stated the standard minimum qualification or qualifications required for entry into that profession, as determined by the FWC.

The qualifications are listed as AQF Level 5 (i.e. a Diploma) through to AQF Level 9 (i.e. a Masters Degree).

Some professions have only one AQF Level associated with them (for example, a Physiotherapist is listed as having a minimum qualification of AQF Level 7 – i.e. a Bachelor Degree). Whereas other professions, such as a Speech Pathologist, is listed as having AQF Level 7. AQF Level 8 and AQF Level 9 as its standard minimum qualifications.

Step 2: Where there is only one AQF qualification listed

Where the Award only lists one AQF qualification as the minimum standard of the profession (eg AQF Level 7 for a Physiotherapist) the next step will be to consult the new table of minimum rates in the new clause 17.1 of the Award (pages 1 to 4 in the FWC’s determination).

Their classification level and rate of pay will be determined by their years of experience in the profession at Level 1 (including at previous employers).

So, for example, there are separate rates of pay for:

• AQF Level 7— 1st year
• AQF Level 7— 2nd and 3rd year
• AQF Level 7— 4th to 6th year
• AQF Level 7— 7th year+

The only exception to this approach would be if the employer required the employee to have a higher level AQF qualification than is listed in the table. E.g. if the employer required a Physiotherapist to have a Masters Degree (AQF Level 9). In that case the AQF Level that would determine the minimum wage would be the level of qualification required by the employer. It is submitted that this will arise rarely in practice.

Simply holding a higher qualification will not entitle the employee to a higher classification / rate of pay.

Step 3: Where there is more than one AQF qualification listed

Where the table at Schedule B.3 lists more than one minimum AQF level associated with a profession then the employee is classified at the level of qualification they hold, if it is listed.

For a Speech Pathologist (which is listed as AQF Level 7, AQF Level 8 and AQF Level 9) if the employee holds an AQF Level 8 – Bachelor Degree, they would be classified as AQF Level 8 and their minimum pay rate could be determined by consulting the list of minimum rates in clause 17 (which will then also turn on years of experience in the profession).

As above, the only exception to this approach would be if the employer required the employee to have a higher level AQF qualification than is listed in the table. In that case the higher qualification level would be used to determine minimum wages.

Step 4: Where there is more than one AQF qualification listed, but the AQF level of the employee is not listed

If the profession lists multiple qualification levels but the AQF level the employee holds is not listed, then they are to be classified as the AQF level listed in the table which is closest to the qualification held by the employee.

So for example, a Speech Pathologist is listed as having AQF Level 7, AQF Level 8 and AQF Level 9 as the minimum qualification levels. 

If an employee holds an AQF Level 10, they would be classified as an AQF Level 9.

Again, once you hold this information you will be able to consult clause 17 and determine their minimum rate of pay, which will also be influenced by years of experience in the profession.

(As above, there will be an exception to this approach if the employer required the employee to have a higher level AQF qualification than is listed in the table. In that case the higher qualification level would be used to determine minimum wages.)

As noted above, the effect of classifying employees in this way will mean that employees with the same amount of experience in the profession, but with different levels of qualification, may be entitled to differing levels of pay, even if they’re doing identical work.

Step 5: Where the employee’s profession is not listed

Where the employee’s profession is not listed in the table in clause B.3 (which will be very rare) the Award states that the AQF level that will apply will be “the standard minimum qualification required for entry into that profession or where no standard minimum qualification exists, the AQF level of the qualification held by the employee”. 

As above, if the employer requires a higher minimum AQF level than this, this will apply instead for the purpose of calculating minimum wages. 

Different steps for classifying existing employees  

A new Schedule J.4 of the Award sets out a table which gives examples of how current classification levels translate into the new classifications.

For employees previously classified as Level 1 or Level 2 under the Award on 30 September 2026, using the table still requires an employer to first determine the appropriate standard minimum AQF qualification level for the role using Schedule B (i.e., performing steps 1 to 5 listed above).

However, once the appropriate standard minimum AQF qualification minimum level for the role has been determined under Schedule B, rather than counting their years of experience in the profession to calculate their pay rate, the table in Schedule J demonstrates how their existing classification and pay point level translate into the new classifications. 

The table also separately deals with employees currently classified as Level 3 or above. 

As a final step, employers must compare the employee’s existing minimum pay level as at 30 September 2026 with the new minimum pay level provided under the new classification structure. If the existing minimum pay level is higher, then employees must remain entitled to this. Where the new minimum pay rate is higher, then employees must be paid in accordance with this. 

Other changes to be aware of

Another change to the Award is the removal of the requirement that part-time employees must log 1,824 hours before progressing to the next pay point. Progression is now based on years of experience in the profession regardless of how many hours are worked in a standard week. 

There have also been minor amendments to the rates of some of the allowances paid under the Award which employers should also check.

These changes follow earlier amendments to the Award which applied just to Dental Assistants and Pathology Collectors, which you can read more about here.